


from these dark waters (from this dark world)

by WoundedHeartWithin (crmsndragonwngs)



Category: Far Cry 5, Far Cry New Dawn
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Hurt/Comfort, Mild Smut, Smut, Unsafe Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-01
Updated: 2019-08-19
Packaged: 2020-01-07 04:46:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 18,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18403385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crmsndragonwngs/pseuds/WoundedHeartWithin
Summary: "If you're void of answers and your soul has become lostI will save you, I will carry you away, awayIf you're void of a balance, before you stumble and you fallI will catch you, forever sing your name"





	1. Prologue

“Bailey Arielle Correa, 23, born in Puerto Rico, raised in Phoenix, Arizona. Graduated top of her class from the Glendale Police Academy in 2016, served a year and a half at the Glendale PD, including two months of ongoing SWAT training. No incidents, conducted herself calmly and professionally, has the ability to be an excellent law enforcement officer wherever she goes.” Sheriff Earl Whitehorse reads, holding the rookie’s dossier in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. He glances up at her over his glasses, then back at the letter of commendation from the Glendale Chief of Police. “High praise.”

“Yes, sir.” She says, voice cool and even. She’s in street clothes, conservatively dressed with her hair pulled back into a neat bun. She looks exactly like all the other rookies he’s hired: fresh-faced, eager to please, looking for an opportunity to shine.

“So what brings you to Hope County, Montana?” He asks, throwing the dossier onto his desk. “Not exactly a bustling metropolitan area.”

“That’s exactly why I’m here, sir.” She says frankly. “Well, that and it’s too damn hot in Arizona.”

“While I can’t argue with that, I’m still wondering why you chose Montana.” Earl says, raising an eyebrow. “Gets pretty cold here, y’know.”

“I just needed a change of scenery.” She sighs. “The desert gets boring real quick, and I just don’t like being a city cop.”

“Well, I suppose that’s fair.” Earl stands and straightens his duty belt, then steps around his desk to face her directly. “Job’s yours. You’re more than qualified, and I’m in need of deputies. Now more than ever.”

“I heard about the cult.”

“We don’t like to use that term.”

“I’m looking forward to helping bring it down. It’s my understanding that they’ve cause a lot of trouble for the people here.”

“That they have.” Earl says. “Anyway, I guess that means you’re in luck. We’ve been talking with the US Marshal Service about arrest warrants. Their idea, not ours. Got an agent coming out tomorrow to go over fine details and chart a plan of attack. Maybe with your SWAT training, you’ll be of some help on that front.”

“I’ll do my best, sir.” 

“I have no doubt you will.” Earl smiles and offers his hand. “Welcome to the Hope County Sheriff’s Office, Deputy Correa.”

“Thank you, sir.” Bailey says through a grin, grasping his hand and shaking it with an enthusiasm that Earl envies. 

—

Hurk Drubman Jr. is sitting on the roof of one of the trailers in the Moonflower Trailer Park, drinking beer with his cousin, Sharky Boshaw, when a far off explosion catches his attention. 

“The fuck was that?” Sharky asks, looking at Hurk in bleary-eyed confusion. 

“Dunno.” Hurk replies, then points at the column of smoke beginning to rise into the clear night sky. “Started a big-ass fire, whatever it was.”

“Wanna go see it?” 

“Nah, let’s just watch it from here.” Hurk takes another pull from his beer. “It’s like the goddamn Fourth of July.”

—

“Hurk! Shit. The cops are here, get the fuck up!” Sharky hisses, shaking Hurks shoulder hard. “I think they’re here ‘cuz we been roastin’ Peggies.”

“Is it really murder if they’re tryna kill you, too?”

“Fuck if I know. C’mon, you gotta help me get rid of ‘em!”

“The Peggies?”

“The fuckin’ cops, man! Damn, never fuckin’ _listen_.” Sharky growls, then turns and leaves, yelling as he opens the door. “Listen here, Johnny Law, I know my rights. Them Peggies are trespassing on my property and —“

“I don’t give a shit what you do to the Peggies.” A female voice replies, clear and pretty like a bell. Hurk shoves the door open and steps up beside his cousin, narrowing his eyes at the tiny deputy sheriff standing before them. She’s pretty with her tanned olive complexion and big brown eyes, her hair pulled into a loose bun, bleached blonde but the roots have long grown out. Her deputy’s uniform is a bit worse for wear, but she still somehow manages to look all authority-like in it. She smiles at Hurk, a wide and honest grin that is as genuine as it is beautiful, and Hurk finds himself returning it effortlessly. 

“Take it easy, Sharky.” Hurk says, putting a hand on his cousin’s shoulder. “What can we do for you, ma’am?”

“Name’s Bailey. I heard you two got explosives?” She says, hooking her thumbs in her belt loops. “I need, like, a lot of explosives. And a flamethrower.”

“Miss Bailey, you are in the right place.” Hurk says, laughing. “I’m Hurk, RPG specialist. This is Sharky, pyrotechnics phenom. At your service.”

“What are we blowin’ up?” Sharky asks, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. 

“What _aren’t_ we blowing up?” Bailey replies easily. “I’m planning on taking out every Peggie I see. Burning every Bliss field, blowing up every silo, destroying every outpost. No fucking prisoners.”

“Goddamn, I think I’ve just found the woman of my dreams.” Hurk jokes, laughing again. 

“Me too.” Sharky agrees, grinning. “This is gonna be fun.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This somehow got deleted and idk wtf happened lol


	2. infinite beauty

The first time she disappears, Hurk thinks nothing of it, even if she had just left mid-conversation. He’d only known Deputy Bailey Correa for two days, and while he’d instantly liked her for both her penchant for blowing shit up and the fact that she’s fine as hell, he doesn’t know much about her. He knows that she’s a cop, and he knows that the Seeds have a real creepy hard on for her, but he has no reason to keep track of her daily habits. 

She resurfaces the next day with a far away look in her eye, spacey like she’d gotten really fucking high and hadn’t quite sobered up yet, but fairly normal. Hurk had had no reason to believe she’d even met Jacob, let alone gone through the first stage of his “re-training” program. 

The second time she goes missing, Hurk does start to worry. He asks Eli Palmer about it, but he only shrugs and tells Hurk that she probably had other shit going on. They are in the middle of a war after all. This time, it takes her five days to resurface. And when she does, she’s covered in blood and has a wild look in her eye. 

“You look like hell, Ladybug.” He says softly, grabbing her elbow when she sways to stabilize her. 

“Feel like it, too.” She grumbles, dusting her pants and smearing the blood worse. 

Then she disappears again a week later, and stays MIA for two fucking weeks. 

The Whitetail Militia goes DEFCON One, locking down everything and pulling scouts from the entire region all at once. Hurk has a real problem with just hunkering down and hoping Bailey comes back in one piece, so he takes to driving all over the region. Nick Rye has already been searching for her from the sky, and it doesn’t take much convincing to get Sharky patrolling the water in his fishing boat. Dutch Roosevelt checks in often, asking anyone who might be listening if they’ve found her, and each time there’s a resounding chorus of no. 

Sheriff Whitehorse is convinced that the eldest Seed has her, and is calling everyone back to the jail to plan an assault on the Veterans Hospital where Jacob makes his base. Hurk’s listening to the sheriff on his radio when he sees a big box truck pulled over on the side of the road. The driver is in front of the truck taking a piss, and Hurk wastes no time popping the guy so that he can safely loot the truck. 

He’s opening up the back when he hears a groan above him, then something drops off the roof with a heavy _thump_. 

Hurk peeks around the back of the truck, gun in hand, at the still lump of fabric lying on the ground. Then it moves and groans again, and Hurk trips over himself getting to it. 

“Oh sweet Monkey King, Bailey!” He gasps, breathless, going to his knees next to her lifeless form. She’s skin and bones, covered in blood and shit, her eyes wide and glassy, and if she weren’t taking short, raspy breaths, he would think she’s fucking dead. “Hey, hey, Bailey, it’s me. It’s Hurk. Holy shit.” She’s cold when he touches her, and he can feel every bone in her body as he puts his arms under her and lifts her up. 

He puts her in the passenger seat of the box truck and buckles her in, then runs to the driver side and climbs in. The key is blessedly still in the ignition, and he turns it and tears off onto the road, scaring the shit out of himself when he nearly flips the goddamn thing. 

She groans and her head lolls to one side, and Hurk reaches for her hand without thinking, seeking connection, needing to know that she’s actually here and she’s alive and that this isn’t just some hallucination. 

“Where am I?” Bailey groans, squeezing Hurk’s hand weakly. 

“You’re okay. You’re safe.” Hurk replies, glancing over at her. “We’re headed to the Wolf’s Den. Everythin’s gonna be okay.”

“No. No, not the Den. Can’t go there.” She says, groaning again and shifting, getting upset. 

“Okay. Okay, where?” He asks, confused. Why wouldn’t she want to go back to the Wolf’s Den?

“Anywhere. Just not there.” And then she passes out. 

So Hurk takes her to Dutch. He doesn’t know where else to go, and he thinks she wouldn’t want too much of a fuss made over her (why else wouldn’t she want to go to Eli?), and Dutch isn’t exactly known for making a fuss. 

“What the hell happened?” Dutch rasps when Hurk pulls up. He’s got a shotgun cradled in his arms, obviously on edge since they just rolled up to his bunker in a cult cargo truck, and a sour look on his face. “She looks like shit.”

“Yeah.” Hurk huffs, unbuckling her and lifting her gently out of the truck. 

“Why didn’t you take her to Eli?”

“She didn’t wanna go to the Wolf’s Den.” Hurk replies. “And you’re closer than the jail.”

“Why not take her to your pop’s place?”

“Are you kiddin?” Hurk snorts. “You honestly think my daddy’d help?”

“Well, probably not.” Dutch replies. “C’mon, then. Let’s get her inside. I’m guessing Jacob starved her?”

“Good a guess as any.”

“Where’d you find her?” 

“By that cult truck. She came to on the way here, but that didn’t last long.” Dutch leads him into a room with a bed and gestures for Hurk to put her down. 

“I’ll start fluids. Get her warm.” Dutch says gruffly and leaves the room. 

Hurk rummages through the lockers and finds a few scratchy blankets. He makes a face but covers her with them anyway, then sits next to her on the edge of the bed and rubs her arms and legs and sides vigorously. She groans and turns her head, but doesn’t open her eyes. 

Dutch returns a few moments later and sets up an IV drip. He mumbles something about a dextrose solution, then leaves again. Five minutes later, Bailey is trying to sit up and pull the needle out of her arm. 

“Hey, stop. You’re okay.” Hurk says, grabbing her hands and hanging on when she starts to fight. For a moment, she’s a hell of a lot stronger than she looks, and she nearly frees herself. But then she stops and sags back against the pillow, panting and staring at the ceiling with glassy eyes. 

“Where am I?” She asks, her voice rough. 

“Dutch’s bunker.” Hurk replies, letting go of her hands. 

“Okay.” She huffs. “When can I get out of here?”

“Dude, you’re practically a fuckin’ skeleton.” Hurk says, incredulous. “What happened to you? You’ve been gone for weeks.”

“Jacob Seed.” She snarls. “He kidnapped me and starved me.”

“Why?”

“How the hell should I know? Keep me weak and useless?” She snaps, then takes a deep breath. “Sorry. I don’t know.” She’s quiet for a moment, then takes another deep breath and meets Hurk’s eyes. “Wanna know something really fucked up? I actually kinda feel _bad_ for him. He’s fucked Pratt all up, he nearly killed me, but I feel _bad_ for him. He talked about his buddy that died in Iraq, and how mean his dad was when he and his brothers were kids, and I can fucking see why he’s like this.” She huffs and bares her teeth. “God, I hate him. Fucking asshole. I gotta find a way to put him out of his misery. Get him the fuck outta my hair.”

“Sounds good to me.” Hurk chuckles, shaking his head. 

She kills Eli Palmer a week later. Just marches right into the Wolf’s Den like a woman possessed, still skinny and weak, kills half of the Whitetails and blows Eli’s brains out. Hurk catches the tail end of Wheaty’s distress signal and heads toward the mountain the bunker is situated in. 

He finds her standing over Jacob Seed’s hunched body, slumped where he’d died up against a rock. Her back is stiff, her fists clenched, and when Hurk reaches out to touch her shoulder, she whips around and takes a swing at him. 

“Whoa!” He yelps, catching Bailey’s arm before she can actually hit him. “S’just me.”

“Sorry.” She replies, detached. 

“I heard about Eli.” He murmurs. “I’m sorry, Ladybug.” She sighs and shakes his hand off her shoulder. 

“So am I.”

—

Bailey sits at a table in the corner of the dining area in the 8 Bit Pizza Bar, carving lines into its surface with her hunting knife, looking like she’d just lost her puppy. Hurk’s been watching her for an hour already, nursing a beer and only half listening to Sharky’s ideas for Hurk’s Gate, wondering if it would be better to go talk to her or to just leave her alone. 

He finishes his beer and chucks the bottle out the open window. On a normal day, she probably would have reacted to it. “Cult’s doing enough to destroy everything, they don’t need help,” she’d probably growl, punching his shoulder and laughing. 

Today, she doesn’t even flinch. Probably hadn’t even heard it shatter outside. 

Hurk sighs, grabs two more bottles from the fridge, and makes his decision. He doesn’t know if it’s just better to leave her alone or not, but it seems shitty to just let her wallow like this. So he crosses the room and opens the bottle with his teeth. 

“Looks like you need this.” He says, offering it to her. She doesn’t even look up, just takes it out of his hand and tips it back, draining half of it without once taking her eyes off her carvings. “Whoa there, Ladybug. Take it easy.”

“Sure, Hurk.” She huffs, taking another pull from the bottle, shorter than the last. 

“Penny for your thoughts?” He says, sitting down and opening his own bottle. “Or beer, I guess.”

“Just thinking about Jacob and Eli.” She says quietly, rolling the bottle between her hands and closing her eyes. “Don’t feel right.” Hurk doesn’t say anything. He’s not sure there’s anything to say. Instead, he reaches out and drops a heavy hand on her shoulder. He expects her to jump or jerk away from him, but she doesn’t. She just lifts her own hand and puts it over his. 

“Anything I can do?” He asks, catching her fingers and stroking them with his thumb. She doesn’t respond for a long time.

“No, Hurk.” She says at last. “Thanks though.”

He should probably push, insist that she talk to him and let him in. Let him do something to make her feel more at peace at least. But he knows there’s nothing he can do. 

So instead, he sits down in the chair next to her and drinks his beer in silence. He doesn’t push, he doesn’t do anything. He just sits with her. 

Finally, after they’ve both drained their bottles and the sun has set outside, Bailey sighs and leans back in her chair. She’s still too skinny, her eyes are sunken in and her cheeks are hollow, but when she looks at him and smiles wanly, he can’t help but think she’s the most beautiful girl he’s ever met. 

“You know, if you took a picture you wouldn’t have to stare so much.” She says softly, grinning when he huffs and rolls his eyes. 

“Puh-lease. I’m just wonderin’ when you’ll notice that big-ass booger on your face.” He teases, laughing outright when she gasps and covers her nose and mouth with both hands. 

“You’re a dick.” She growls, but the skin around her eyes crinkles and she starts to laugh too. She snorts and they both laugh harder, practically howling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another fair warning, this is a short story. It's only 18,000-something words, so there's going to be a little bit of jumping around for the sake of moving the story along.
> 
> Also, 700 followers on tumblr! Wtf guys, thank you so much??? I'm screaming, when I created this blog, I never imagined I'd have even one follower, let alone 700!!
> 
> Anyway, feedback is greatly appreciated, so tell me what you think!


	3. before you stumble and you fall

Bailey’s still weak when John kidnaps her to perform his crazy fucking baptism. He’s nowhere near as stealthy as his brother was, just has his people drive up in a van and grab her like in some lame-ass spy movie, and burns rubber before Hurk can do anything. He pulls his pistol and levels it on one of the rear tires, but they’re out of range too quickly. 

Hurk runs back to Bailey’s truck and peels out, first intending to chase them, but realizing almost immediately that they’d gotten too much of a head start. He radios the Sheriff instead. 

“Go to Fall’s End and get Pastor Jerome.” Whitehorse barks in reply. “He’s closer to John than I am, he’ll be of more help.”

“Oh my. Mr. Drubman riding in like a knight in shining armor.” John Seed croons suddenly. 

“The fuck you doin’ on this channel?” Hurk snarls. 

“Don’t worry. I’ll be sure to return her to you shortly. We just have a small matter to clear up.”

“You hurt her and I’ll kill you. You hear me, you sonuvabitch?”

“So protective.” John purrs. “Like I said, we have something we need to discuss.” 

There’s no point in replying, so Hurk just grits his teeth and floors it. 

He roars into Fall’s End about half an hour later, slamming on brakes and screeching to a halt right in front of the Spread Eagle. Mary May is out the door in an instant, shotgun gripped in both hands and a wild look on her face. 

“What the hell, Hurk? What’s goin’ on?” She yells when he opens the door and slides out of the truck. 

“John’s got the Dep. The Sheriff sent me to rally the troops.” Hurk replies. 

“Damn.” Mary May hisses. “We don’t have a fuckin’ army here.”

“Just need a couple people.” Hurk says, jerking a thumb toward the truck. “All ’a Bailey’s shit’s in there. Weapons, ammo, explosives, the whole kit. Should be enough to arm a few folks. Set up an ambush and get ‘em on their way back to Seed’s bunker.”

“Yeah, okay.” Mary May murmurs, scrubbing her face. “C’mon in. Jerome’s inside.”

“Well, look at that! Hurk Drubman Jr. How ya doin’, kid?” Merle Briggs says when Hurk walks in. 

“Been better.” Hurk huffs. 

“Damn, if Hurk’s all serious an’ shit, then somethin’ big must be up.” Merle says, frowning deeply. 

—

They wait until dark before they start moving, headed toward the river with headlights off. Hurk and Jerome lead the convoy in Bailey’s truck, threading through the valley quickly and carefully. 

“That’s where he dunks his victims.” Jerome says quietly when they get close. A white van emerges from the trees then, turning onto the main road and accelerating. “Right on time.”

Hurk floors it, the truck’s engine roaring. He goes off the road and cuts through the woods, breaking through the trees and barreling up onto the road in front of the van. They slam into the van’s front end, the impact bone-shaking, and ram it off the road and down the hill. The airbags deploy, stunning them both for a moment, then they’re out of the truck and bounding toward the van. Hurk’s ears are still ringing when he rips open the backdoors, loud enough to drown out the gunshot that puts down the Peggie that Bailey is grappling with. 

“C’mon, Ladybug. I gotcha.” He says, grabbing Bailey’s arm and hauling her upright. She sways on her feet and stumbles, and Hurk grabs her waist to steady her.

“See you went the dramatic route.” She wheezes, clearing her throat and nodding toward her truck. Or, well...what’s left of it. 

“Yeah, sorry about that.” Hurk replies. “Runnin’ short on roadblocks, and we didn’t wanna tip off the Peggies.”

“I loved that truck.” She huffs. 

“I’ll find ya a new one.”

“C’mon. Got a chopper coming for us.” Jerome says. 

“Jerome Jeffries, right?” Bailey rasps, removing Hurk’s hands from her waist and taking a shaky step forward. She holds out her hand. “Bailey Correa. I’d been meaning to come say hello before… well, before.”

“Pleasure’s mine, deputy.” Pastor Jerome says warmly, taking her hand and shaking it firmly. “Let’s get out of here first, then we can chat, hm?”

“Yes, sir.” Bailey replies, grimacing. “I might need a little help.”

“That’s what I’m here for.” Hurk says, bumping her shoulder. “Let’s go fuck up some Peggies.”

—

“Goddamn, it is good to see you guys.” Mary May crows when they make it back to town. “Hello, deputy. I’m Mary May Fairgrave, and I am damn glad to see someone finally standin’ up to those assholes.”

“Tryin’ to, anyway.” Bailey says. She lets Hurk help her out of the car they’d taken back into town, and leans heavily on his arm. “I’ve heard good things, Ms. Fairgrave.”

“Please, just Mary May is fine.” Mary May laughs, reaching to shake Bailey’s outstretched hand. “Anything you need, deputy, we’ll get it for you.”

“Call me Bailey. I could definitely use a beer.” She laughs, then elbows Hurk in the ribs. “And a new truck.”

“One beer comin’ up.” Mary May replies warmly. “On the house.”

—

Pastor Jerome approaches Bailey three days later with a strangely guilty look on his face. She and Hurk had been holed up in the Spread Eagle since the baptism incident, and Bailey had spent most of those three days sleeping and eating. 

“I’m sorry, deputy. I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important.” He says in preamble, and Hurk stands from where he’s been camped out on the couch and puts himself between them. 

“No way, amigo.” He says, crossing his arms over his chest. “Look at her. She needs a fuckin’ break, man.”

“I know. And I’m sorry to even bring this up. But you’re the only person who can do this, Bailey.” Jerome puts his hands on Hurk’s shoulders and gently moves him aside. “He’s specifically asking for you.”

“Who is?” Bailey asks, sitting up in the full-sized bed Mary May had parked her in. 

“A cult soldier. One of John’s Chosen. He wants to defect, and he wants you to help him.” 

“And you don’t think this might be a trap?” Hurk huffs, looking at Bailey. “Someone else can do it. You ain’t fit.”

“Shut up, I’m fine.” Bailey retorts. “Where is he?”

“Silver Lake Trailer Park.” Jerome answers, looking relieved. 

“We’re going.” Bailey says, throwing the bed covers aside and standing up. She’s wobbly on her feet still, and Jerome winces when she stumbles into the nightstand. 

“This is stupid.” Hurk growls. “Which is sayin’ somethin’ comin’ from me.”

“We gotta do it.” She says, looking at him with a pleading look in her eyes. “Maybe if this guy successfully defects, more will do the same. It would save countless lives.”

“Bailey, you can barely stand.” Hurk replies, doing some pleading of his own. 

“I’ll manage.” She huffs. “I was training to be a SWAT sniper before I came here. It hasn’t been too long, I should be able to knock the rust off and get my aim back. I can take a position somewhere up high and provide cover while your people get the guy to safety.”

“The general store should have a rifle you can use.” Jerome says, nodding. “I’ll radio the park and tell them you’re on your way.”

—

“Sniper, 200 yards, one o’clock.” Hurk murmurs, watching the Peggie sniper through the spotter’s scope Bailey had literally just taught him how to use. 

“One second.” Bailey replies, firing at the last target before adjusting to find the new one. “Could you confirm that one?” 

“Yeah, he’s dead.” Hurk chuckles. 

A loud gunshot rings through the air, an unsilenced .50 cal, and something slams into the tree they’re taking cover next to about three feet above Hurk’s head. He ducks instinctively and starts to move, but then Bailey hums and takes the shot.

“Confirm?” She asks calmly, and Hurk takes a deep breath and looks through the scope. The dude’s laid out flat, dead as a fucking doornail. 

“Yup. Got ‘im.” Hurk replies, looking at her and laughing giddily. “Damn, you are a good shot.” She grins, still looking through her scope, and Hurk takes a moment to appreciate the view. She looks good sprawled out prone like this, the M1 10 marksman rifle slotted against her shoulder like it belongs there, relaxed and loose and natural as she calmly takes aim. _Nothin’ quite like watchin’ a beautiful girl with a gun,_ he thinks fondly. 

“Did a few practice sessions with Grace Armstrong before the raid. I had, like, a two week window between Marshal Burke’s arrival and the actual arrest attempt? Maybe a little less. I used it like yoga.” She laughs and glances up at him. If she notices him staring, she doesn’t show it. “Never thought I’d actually have to use it for what it is.” She looks back into her scope, shifting a bit to find the Resistance team, and adjusts her sights. “They’re about to make it to the dock.” She murmurs. 

Then Hurk sees movement out of the corner of his eye. 

“Shit, Bailey, we got company.” He hisses, turning to face the movement and raising the M16 Pastor Jerome had given him. 

“Easy.” She replies. “Take a deep breath, steady, and fire. Okay? Just like hunting.” 

Then several Peggies break from the trees all at once and Hurk opens fire, spray and fucking pray. 

“Fuck.” Bailey says, picking up the rifle and getting to her knees. She turns and fires a few rounds in the general direction of the Peggies bearing down on them, then thinks better of it and pulls her service pistol instead. Shouting starts below, from the direction of the dock, and Bailey swears again. 

“Cover ‘em. I gotcha.” Hurk yells, moving so that he’s blocking her and taking down three more Peggies. 

“They just keep coming.” She hisses, but he can hear her turn and lay prone again. “Shit, RPG!”

“What?!” Hurk starts to turn, to see what she’s talking about, and one of the fuckers hits him in the arm. He hisses and turns his attention back to the steady stream of assholes running toward them, and hears a fucking huge explosion behind him. 

“No, nonononononono, oh _fuck_.” 

“What’s happening?”

“We gotta move, _now_.” She snarls. He hears her get up and risks a glance back at her. 

“Why, what’s goin’ on?”

“They’re all dead, and I lost the RPG. We’re no longer in control here.” She replies, her tone completely deadpan. “C’mon. Let’s move.”

“What do you mean they’re all dead?” Hurk asks, shooting the last two Peggies that run out of the trees. It’s quiet for a moment, so Hurk turns and jogs to catch up. 

“I mean they’re all dead!” She yells, whirling around and jabbing a finger at the dock. 

Or what’s left of it, anyway. 

The nearby boat house is a starting to catch fire, the dock is completely gone, and there’s nothing but the framework of a burnt out boat sticking halfway out of the water. Bodies are floating nearby. Two are on fire. The round must have hit the boat directly, blowing it up completely. 

“Damn.” Hurk says. 

“Yeah. Now c’mon. I don’t know where that asshole went.” Bailey replies, turning and jogging down the hill. 

—

They’re about halfway back to Fall’s End when the fucking gunshot wound in Hurk’s arm starts to really hurt. The adrenaline in his veins has long since run out, and the ache in his bicep is going from dull to throbbing quickly. 

“What’s wrong?” Bailey asks, squinting at him from the passenger seat. 

“Nothin.” Hurk answers, staring ahead as he drives one-handed toward Fall’s End. He’s glad it’s his left arm. 

“You’re all tense.” She points out. “Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine, Ladybug, don’t worry.” He says, grinning at her. She just frowns deeper, but she lets it go, staring out the windshield with an unreadable expression on her face. “What about you? You okay?”

“Shoulda been able to save him.” She says quietly. “All of them. It’s not fair.”

“No, it’s not.” He agrees, glancing at her. 

“I’ve been… struggling with the idea that— I don’t know. Never mind.” She huffs and looks down at her hands. 

“Don’t do that, Ladybug.” Hurk says gently. “It ain’t healthy. Whatcha been strugglin’ with?”

“Something Jacob said.” She murmurs. “That I leave everyone worse off when I try to help. Maybe I should just get out of the way. I only hurt people.”

“Hey, you gave everybody somethin’ to believe in. Goddamn cult’s been killin’ the party ‘round here. But you’re givin’ everybody hope.” Hurk says, reaching over to grab her hand and trying not to wince when he has to use his injured arm to drive. “And a lot more folks would be dead if you hadn’t come along.”

“I don’t know.” 

“Well, I do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize if Hurk seems a tad out of character here.


	4. grab my hand before the water comes

“You been quiet these last couple ‘a days.” Hurk says as he approaches her. She’s leaning against the new truck the people of Fall’s End had dug up for her with her arms crossed, staring at the big YES sign in the mountains beyond the town. 

“Guess I’ve had a lot on my mind, Hurk.” She replies, still staring at that sign. 

“Like the defector?”

“Yeah.” Bailey sighs. “What a colossal fuck up, huh?”

“Wasn’t your fault.”

“Sure it was.” She huffs. “I’m gonna blow up that fucking sign.” The change of subject is jarring, and Hurk just blinks dumbly at her for a long time. “I’m gonna get a plane, fly it right at that sign, and jump out right before it hits. Boom.” She unfolds her arms and mimes the explosion with her hands. 

“Hell yeah, sounds fun. Can I come?” Hurk says, sort of relieved. Blowing up John’s tribute to his dick sounds like the most fun they’ve had in a long time, and he’s sure it’ll act as a kind of therapy for her. 

“Yeah. Let’s go find a plane.” She says, grinning and pushing off of the truck’s bumper. 

—

Bailey stands at the base of the burning YES sign screaming up at the Chosen planes to just shoot her already. They oblige her willingly, and Hurk barely has enough time to grab her by the waist and drag her back into cover before they turn her into Swiss cheese. She fights him and they tumble a few feet down the mountain, grunting when he lands on top of her, snarling when he won’t get off. 

He straddles her and pins her arms, baring his teeth and squeezing her legs with his knees to keep her from nailing him in the nuts. 

“Stop it, you dumbass.” He growls, but she only fights harder. She yells and he covers her mouth with one hand, hissing at her. “You’re gonna give away our position. Fuckin’ Peggies are on the mountain, too. Gonna get us fuckin’ killed.”

She bites his hand. 

He jerks backward and she manages to wriggle out from under him. She kicks him in the gut and scoots away from him. 

“Don’t you ever do that again.” She says, low and dark, watching as he struggles to breathe again. 

“Yeah, back at ya. Fuckin’ lunatic.” He wheezes. 

—

She doesn’t speak to him for three days. They travel together, they work together, but she doesn’t say a word. 

Then, at the end of the third day, she tosses him the keys to the truck and climbs in the passenger seat. He sighs and gets behind the wheel, easing out onto the road. 

“Where to, boss?” He asks, not expecting an answer. 

“Don’t care.” She replies, frowning. “Just wanna sleep for a bit.”

“How ‘bout I find someplace with a bed or two?” He asks, glancing at her. “You look like you could use a good night’s sleep.”

“Whatever.” She huffs, then pulls the bill of her hat down low. 

He drives until he hears her begin to snore, then he heads for that old hotel by the hot springs. They say it’s haunted, but Hurk doesn’t believe in that shit. Humans are the real monsters, not ghosts. He’s sure Bailey would say the same. 

It’s full dark when he pulls into the parking lot. No one is around, so no one can question him when he goes around to the passenger side to pick her up and carry her upstairs to one of the rooms. She groans softly and presses her face into his chest, and he can’t help but smile as he climbs the stairs. 

There’s only one available room, so Hurk puts Bailey in the bed, then sits on the floor and falls asleep against the wall. 

When he wakes up, he finds her sitting up in bed watching him. She smiles when he meets her gaze. 

“You didn’t have to sleep on the floor.” She says softly. “I’m sorry for being such a bitch.”

“Nah.” Hurk says, chuckling and heaving himself up. “I deserved it.”

“No, you didn’t.” She huffs. He sits on the foot of the bed and looks at her. “I just… it freaked me out, is all. Took me back to being strapped in that fucking chair. I know you care about me and I know you didn’t mean to scare me, and that you wouldn’t hurt me. I shouldn’t have given you the cold shoulder just for trying to keep me from killing my stupid self.”

“See? Told you you just needed a good night’s sleep.” He says, putting a hand on her ankle and squeezing it gently. “Don’t worry about it, Bailey. Really. I got your back.” He smiles again. “And I’m sorry for scarin’ you.”

“Don’t apologize. You didn’t do anything wrong.” She says softly, putting her hand over his. “Anyway, now it’s your turn to get some sleep.” She says, pulling away and standing up. She gestures to the bed and smiles. “Promise I won’t take off without you. Get some real sleep.”

— 

She’s not there when he wakes up. He panics for a moment, rushing to the window to make sure the truck is still there. It is, but she could have just left it and taken another car. 

He pulls on his pants and shirt and practically trips down the stairs, earning several alarmed looks from the nearby Cougars. 

“Where’s Bailey?” He says to the room, staring around until someone raises a shy hand to point outside. 

A small figure sits at the edge of the hot springs, legs disappearing over the edge and into the water. 

He takes a deep breath and steps outside, waving awkwardly when she glances back at him. 

“I said I’d still be here.” She says softly, swishing her feet in the water. 

“I guess you did.” Hurk replies, sitting down heavily next to her. 

“You ever wish for something bad to happen, just because you want to prove to people that you can handle it, and then regret it the moment it comes true?” She asks, suddenly very still and very serious. 

“Can’t say that I have, Ladybug.” He replies, because he doesn’t know the right answer. Doesn’t know if she even knows it. 

“I have.” She says, kicking one foot out of the water so that the spray hits them both. “And I regret it. I regret a lot of things. And I wish I could take it back.” Her foot lands back in the water with a splash. “But I can’t take it back. You can’t take shit back, Hurk. No matter how much you hope and you pray and you wish, it doesn’t change anything. It’s done and there’s nothing you can do about it.” She turns to face him then, staring into his eyes and making him suddenly feel very uncomfortable. 

“Bailey, I don’t know what —“

She kisses him. Just snaps forward like a snake, grabs the back of his neck with one hand and a fistful of hair on the side of his head in the other, and kisses him so hard their teeth clash, pinching his bottom lip between them and breaking skin. The bright taste of his own blood on his tongue surprises him, has him pulling back and gasping for air and apologizing for everything under the sun all at once. 

He freezes, staring at her and the hurt and regret that slowly blooms in her eyes, and he hates that he’s caused it. Before he can talk himself out of it, he takes a deep breath and leans forward and kisses her back, a soft press of his lips to hers, chaste and sweet. She makes a soft, content sound in her throat, the hand gripping his hair loosening as she relaxes, her other hand sliding to cup his jaw as he smiles against her lips. 

—

They don’t talk about it. Bailey offers no explanation as to why she’d kissed him, no comment about him kissing her back, and Hurk is too scared to ask. Too scared of breaking her trust. Too scared of losing their friendship. It was probably the beer he thinks he’d tasted on her lips. She’d been buzzed and stressed and he’d simply been there. 

But then he finds himself grabbing her waist and pulling her back into cover yet again, baring his teeth and growling something about her being a crazy fucking bitch. She fights him, knocking them both off balance and onto the floor of the abandoned house the Peggies have them cornered in, and they both freeze when he raises up onto his elbows and looks down at her. 

It’s Hurk’s turn to scramble away this time, ignoring the shock on her face as he turns and takes cover behind the sofa. 

“Hurk?” She mumbles later as they’re poking through the bodies for money and ammo. 

“What’s up, Ladybug?” He asks, distracted by the Clutch Nixon bottle opener he’d just pulled out of one of the dead Peggies’ pockets. 

“Thanks for earlier, I guess.” She replies, almost too quietly to hear. He glances up at her and smiles. 

“Don’t mention it, amigo.” He says, then pockets the bottle opener and goes back to searching Peggies. 

—

“You okay, honey? You seem distracted.”

Hurk looks up from the bottle opener he’d been turning over in his hands and sighs. 

“Yeah, mama. I’m fine.” He replies. 

“Bullshit.” Adelaide snorts. She sits down next to him on the dock and bumps his shoulder with hers. “What’s goin’ on?”

“Nothin’. Really.” 

“I know that look, Hurky.” She says, pulling off one boot and dipping her foot in the water. “It ain’t nothin’. So tell your mama what’s goin’ on in that crazy little head a’ yours.” Hurk snorts and puts the bottle opener back in his pocket. 

“Got a stupid-ass crush on a girl.” He says after a moment. “She’s way the fuck outta my league, though. I just wish I could stop thinkin’ about her.”

“She like ya back?”

“Hell if I know.” Hurk snorts. “No, I don’t think she does.”

“Why don’t you try askin’ her, Hurky?” Adelaide says, lowering her voice conspiratorially. “Here’s a secret, honey. You just gotta talk to her, and then listen when she talks. That’s all a girl ever really wants.” She stands up then and steps back into her boot. “Life was short before these cult assholes showed up. It’s even shorter now. You like a girl, then you better go tell her. Before one or both of ya gets killed.”

“Wow. Gee thanks, mama.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we have contact!
> 
> Feedback is always appreciated!!
> 
> Fun fact, the scene at the YES sign and the scene at the hotel together were the first “chapter” I wrote for this fic. It was little more than an idea at the time, and I had had no plans on expanding upon it!


	5. the comfort is enough to save us

Tomorrow they’re going to blow up Joseph’s statue. It’s dangerous and stupid, and as much as Hurk loves dangerous and stupid shit, he can’t help but worry. His mama’s words ring in his head like a bell, reminding him that either one of them could die at any moment. He’d already known that, and had never been afraid of it before, but Bailey’s already almost gotten killed more times than Hurk can count. 

They set up camp in a cabin at the foot of the mountain and hunker down for the night. It’s starting to get cold outside, and even though there are four walls protecting them from the elements, the electricity has been cut and Hurk’s teeth are chattering. 

“Find anything?” Bailey asks, throwing the towels she’d found in the bathroom onto the bed. 

“A quilt and some clothes.” Hurk replies, gesturing to the pile he’d created in a nearby chair. 

“There’s frost on the window.” She says, pointing. He glances back and sighs. 

“That’s Hope County for ya, huh? Hot durin’ the day and cold at night.”

“It’ll be fall soon.”

“Yeah.”

“We should sleep together.” She says, so casually. Hurk freezes. 

“What?” He stammers, risking a look back at her. Her eyebrows knit together and the softest pink tinges her cheeks. 

“Like in the same space. Share body heat. It’s fucking freezing in here.” She replies, then begins to spread out the things they’d found over the bed. 

“Oh. Yeah, right.” He says, shaking his head hard, trying to clear the fucking inappropriate thoughts from his stupid brain. 

They lie down facing away from each other. It’s cold even with all the towels and blankets and clothes over them, and they slowly migrate backwards toward the middle of the queen sized bed until their backs are pressed together. Bailey shivers continuously, vibrating against him until he just can’t stand it anymore. He’s never going to get any sleep at this rate, so he flips over and grabs her, wrapping his arms tightly around her and squeezing her to his chest. She stiffens at first, and for a moment Hurk thinks she’s going to fight. 

Then she huffs and settles against him, her frozen hands twisting into his shirt and her icy nose pressing against his throat, nestling her face against his neck and sighing deeply. 

—

Her nightmare startles them both awake. She jerks in her sleep, crying out and pushing away from Hurk hard enough to actually hurt him. He holds on to her, squeezing when she gasps and begins to claw at his arms. She draws blood before she remembers where she is, before she goes limp and begins to sob. 

“Bailey, it’s okay.” Hurk says in a whisper, his heart pounding in his throat. “It’s okay, Ladybug. Just a bad dream, that’s all.”

She doesn’t answer. She just...falls apart. 

It’s terrifying. He’s known for awhile now that she’s been losing herself to all of… _this_ , but he’s only ever seen her convert her trauma into rage. But now, with her shaking and bawling against his chest, huddled in his arms like an abandoned puppy, he realizes how fragile she really is. How much this stupid war has taken from her. 

He doesn’t know what to do, so he just holds her and murmurs into her hair about his past adventures, about his family, about what he wants to do after this is all said and done. At some point, he loses any semblance of coherence and just babbles like a child, wishing she would just cry herself out already. 

Finally, _finally_ , after his fourth retelling of Kyrat and the shit he’d seen and done there, she quiets and stills with a deep, deep sigh. 

— 

Hurk wakes up alone. His first instinct is to panic. It’s stupid and so unlike him, and for a moment he gets the strange feeling of standing outside his own body, watching as a caricature of himself flies out of bed and down the stairs so fast he trips and goes down like a ton of fucking bricks. 

“Holy shit, Hurk! Are you okay?” Bailey says, alarmed. She crouches next to him and puts a hand on his back. 

“Yeah, yeah.” He replies, heaving himself back up onto his feet. “Thought I heard somethin’ outside.”

“It’s quiet. Nothing to worry about.” Bailey says, holding onto his arm to steady him. 

“Must a’ dreamed it, then.” He mumbles, stepping away from her. “So what’s the plan, boss?” He asks, moving them (mostly himself) to safer ground. She blinks at him, then sighs as though in relief. 

“I was thinking I could sneak in and plant explosives, then get to a safe distance and detonate. You could take care of the top half of the statue with your rocket launcher, that way it goes down faster and we can get the fuck outta there.”

“Sounds good. Faster we get out the better.” Subdued. _Weird_. 

Bailey stares at him. 

“Hurk Drubman Jr. wanting a fast fight.” She says halfheartedly. “You sick or something?”

“Nah. Just rather spend the day gettin’ drunk at the 8 Bit than gettin’ shot at.” He replies. 

“Well, I can’t argue with that.” She concedes, letting it go. “Anyway, c’mon. We better get moving while the sun’s still low in the sky.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? Feedback?


	6. for the gift that you have given

They’re sprinting down the mountain, Joseph’s statue burning behind them, bullets whizzing by their heads and slamming into the trees all around them. 

“Holy fuck!” Bailey yells, out of breath as she leaps over a log and nearly loses her footing. “I didn’t think it’d go down _that_ fast!”

“How many mines did you put on it?” Hurk hollers back. “I’m kinda pissed. Didn’t even get to shoot at it!”

“Like ten!”

“Jesus Christ, Bailey!” 

“It was supposed to be solid fucking concrete!”

“Well it wasn’t!” Hysterical laughter bubbles up from his guts and he nearly trips over his own feet. 

“I know!” And now Bailey’s laughing. They must look like lunatics, running and tripping and dodging gunfire, laughing their asses off the whole way. 

They make it back to the cabin and take cover just as twenty Peggies burst from the trees. Bailey busts out the glass in the window, holds her gun up over her head, and fires blind, keeping her back against the wall and her head low. Hurk follows suit, firing a rocket from around the door jamb. Screaming tells him he’s hit something, and he reloads quickly and risks a peek. 

“They’re runnin’.” He says, standing up and taking aim. 

“Let ‘em go.” Bailey replies, sounding strange. He looks at her, at the positively predatory look in her eyes, and slowly sets his rocket launcher down against the wall, as though a sudden movement would have her lunging at his throat like a rabid wolf. 

She looks so beautiful covered in sweat and soot, and even as he thinks it she stalks forward, feline and hungry. Her eyes are black, and there’s an odd, fucking _scary_ energy radiating off of her. He takes a deep breath. 

“Bailey, I —“

And then she’s on him, pushing him backward against the wall, pressing her lips to his, grinding her hips forward against the adrenaline-fueled erection he hadn’t even realized he had. 

At first he sinks into it, putting both hands on her ass, squeezing and pulling her flush against him. He opens his mouth against hers, drinking her in, shivering when she bites his bottom lip and sucks on it. She rolls her hips again and it feels so _good_ , and even though he knows he should stop, knows he should push her away, he just can’t. 

Then she shifts, kissing along his jaw, down to his throat, pulling a moan from him that is way too high and needy for his own comfort. She hums, drawing a line over his Adam’s Apple with her tongue before closing her lips over his skin and sucking hard. He moans again, moving a hand to push into her hair, his breath already coming in short gasps, making him flush with both embarrassment and arousal. He shouldn’t be this turned on this quickly, this ready to go with so little stimulation, and the fact that he is is fucking damning. And he’s not foolish enough to believe that Bailey has missed the implication, either. The fight might have been what got him hard initially, but it’s Bailey and his stupid crush on her that’s keeping him hard. 

It’s the sudden sting of teeth against his throat that finally brings him back to himself, like a flush of cold water down his back, killing the mood just as quickly as it had come on. 

“You don’t want this.” He says, his voice coming out as more of a growl than a plea. It’s had the wrong effect, that much is evident by her responding growl that he feels more than hears, rumbling in her whole body under his hands and against his chest. “Fuck, what the fuck is wrong with me? Stop, Bailey. Please.” 

She freezes. Hurk takes a shaky breath. 

“You don’t want this.” He repeats, putting his hands on her face and making her look at him. Her eyes are glassy and her pupils are blown wide. Her cheeks are flushed, her lips kiss-swollen, and he has to close his eyes and take a deep breath through his nose to keep himself from falling into her again. “I get it. We just blew up Joseph’s dick analogue or whatever. That shit gets me chubbed, too. But you don’t want this.”

“And you’re such a goddamn expert on what the fuck I want, huh?” She says, curling her lip. 

“You’ve been through some serious shit, Bailey. I get it. You’re still fucked up about Jacob and what he did to you and what he made you do to Eli, and all that shit. But I can’t —“ his voice breaks, and he snaps his mouth shut, forcefully clearing his throat and shaking his head. She changes completely then, softening and pulling away, and for a moment he feels the void open up between them and wishes he hadn’t stopped her. 

“Shit. Oh shit, I’m sorry, Hurk. I’m so sorry.” She gasps, backing up and covering her mouth with her hands. “I’m sorry, I’m not —“

“Like I said, I get it.” Hurk says, taking another deep breath to clear his head now that there is space between them. “But I can’t do this. Not like this.”

“I know.” She murmurs, scrubbing her face and huffing. “I—uh… I’m gonna go upstairs for a bit.” She says, putting her hands up and avoiding his gaze. “You should stay down here and… you know, do some breathing exercises or uh, ha… whatever.” Her face flushes then and she turns, taking the stairs two at a time and slamming the door of the bedroom shut behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh, whoops. Sorry for the late update lol


	7. sink to the bottom

John has taken Bailey again, and Hurk feels like he’s losing his fucking mind. 

They’d been helping Sharky clear out some Bliss farms for Virgil Minkler when Dutch Roosevelt had radioed her to tell her to find a TV. She’d told Hurk to stay with Sharky and finish burning the fields while she dealt with whatever the hell Dutch was talking about. That was the last time he saw her. 

He’d dragged Sharky with him to check the jail first, then the 8 Bit Pizza Bar, before saying fuck it and driving out to Dutch’s island himself. When he got there, Dutch had shown him what he’d called Bailey about: a broadcast of John Seed’s “say yes” infomercial bullshit. It didn’t make sense until Deputy Joey Hudson appeared on the screen, duct tape over her mouth and mascara streaking her cheeks. John’s hand over her throat is a barely concealed threat, warning anyone who watches what consequences incurring his wrath might have. Retaliation for blowing up his stupid sign, no doubt. 

“She’s confronting that sonuvabitch.” Dutch had said sagely. “I’d put money on it.”

Hurk is halfway to Fall’s End when Nick Rye sends out a distress call on all channels. 

“John’s got Pastor Jerome and Mary May. He’s about to kick my fuckin’ door down. Somebody get here now, I need fuckin’ help!” 

By the time Hurk gets into town, a black plane is taking off from John Seed’s runway. A silver Chosen plane takes off after it, wasting no time unloading a hale of gunfire. Both planes are banking hard and disappearing over the trees when Nick’s yellow-ass plane roars into the sky and chases after them. Hurk slams on the brakes and jumps out of the car, staring into the sky as though that alone would make the planes appear. 

“There!” Sharky yells, grabbing Hurk’s shoulder and pointing to the smoke rising quickly into the sky. “Somebody’s plane went down!”

They jump back in the car and Hurk is ready to blast through town to get to the source of that smoke, but Mary May has the main road blocked and is in front of them before he can find another way around. 

“Thank God you two are here. The Peggies are everywhere and I’ll be damned if we lose Fall’s End again.” She snarls, tearing open the driver’s side door and grabbing Hurk’s arm. 

“We were just gonna go help Bailey.” Hurk protests, but Mary May is right. The Peggies are fucking _everywhere_. 

It’s nearly sunrise when Fall’s End is finally quiet. Hurk is watching Nick and Grace and Sharky and Jerome move bodies out of the streets when Mary May puts a hand on his shoulder and presses a Leased Lager bottle into his hand. 

“Looks like you could use one.” She says at his questioning look, then takes a swig from her own beer. “She’s alright. Probably be rollin’ in any minute.”

“I know.” Hurk replies softly. He does know. He’s not worried about her being dead or hurt. 

He’s worried that she’s taken another big step toward that cliff she’s been flirting with since Jacob Seed tried to destroy her. 

Then, as if on cue, a white cult truck comes rumbling down the main drag. Bailey’s got her arm out the window, waving and yelling. She’s grinning but she looks exhausted. 

“Speak of the goddamn devil.” Mary May laughs, stepping off the deck and out into the road. The doors both open and Bailey and Deputy Hudson slide out. They’re both laughing, but when Hurk gets close enough to really see Bailey’s face, he can see through her like she’s made of glass. 

“Hey, Ladybug.” He says, lifting a hand in greeting, and is surprised when Bailey crashes into him. She wraps her arms around his waist and squeezes hard, pushing her face into his chest. He hesitates for a moment, then puts his arms around her, rubbing her back and saying… he doesn’t even know what he’s saying. 

“I’m okay.” She says as though to answer him, stepping back and smiling. “Could use a beer, though.” He holds up his without thinking, his brain on some strange autopilot. He doesn’t hear what Mary May says, doesn’t hear Nick’s reply, doesn’t hear Sharky’s question until he grabs Hurk’s shoulder and shakes it. 

“Yeah, sure.” Hurk says, not sure what he’s agreeing to, and follows when Bailey turns and goes into the Spread Eagle. 

He sits at a table in the corner and watches Bailey celebrate, nursing a beer and brooding. He jumps when Sharky sits down next to him, but his eyes never leave her. 

“What’s goin’ on with you, man?” Sharky asks, glancing at the bar before leaning in close. “Why’re you watchin’ her like that?”

“She’s been cryin’.” Hurk says simply, and takes another pull from his bottle. 

“What?”

“When she got out of the truck. She’d been cryin’.”

“Why would she be cryin’?”

Hurk just shrugs. He doesn’t think she would appreciate him spilling all her dark secrets to his little cousin. Not that he wants to talk about it anyway. 

“She know how bad you got it for her?” Sharky asks nonchalantly, looking at Bailey. 

“Shut up, dickhole.” Hurk huffs. Sharky chuckles. 

“I ain’t tryna bust your balls or nothin’. Just curious.” He says softly. Bailey glances over then and smiles warmly before Hudson has her attention again. “You should tell her.” Hurk snorts and shakes his head. 

“That’s what mama said.” He mumbles, taking a drink. “She didn’t know who I was talkin’ about, though.”

“Still.”

“Whatcha boys up to?” Bailey asks, sidling up to their table and sitting heavily in the empty chair. 

“Slow down on them beers, Ladybug.” Hurk says, shooting Sharky a warning look. “Save some for the rest of us.”

“There’s plenty, I promise.” She snorts, feigning offense. 

“I gotta piss.” Sharky announces suddenly, standing up and winking at Hurk, then heads to the back of the bar and out of sight. 

“Okay then.”

“Are you sure you’re okay, Bailey?”

She looks at him, blinking comically for a moment, then grins and puts one of her small hands over his. 

“I’m fine!” She laughs. 

“I’m worried about you.” He mumbles, looking down at their hands. “Why didn’t you tell me? I woulda went with you.”

“I’m not a little kid, Hurk.” She snorts. She starts to pull her hand away, but Hurk had anticipated that. He reaches forward and grabs her hand, curling his fingers around her palm and squeezing gently. Her eyes widen, and he can tell that she’s thinking about fighting him. 

“Talk to me, Bailey. You can’t do this on your own. Let me in.” And he doesn’t care that he sounds like he’s begging. He _is_ begging. 

“Last time I tried, you shut me down.” She snaps, her voice raising. She starts to stand up so he yanks back on her hand, pulling her back toward him. 

“You did not try to let me in.” He hisses. “You were just tryna use me to forget all the shit that’s happened to you. That’s why I shot you down. We both woulda regretted it if I hadn’t, and you know it.”

“That is not what I was doing.” 

“The hell it wasn’t.”

“You don’t know—“

“No, Bailey. _You_ don’t know.” He says, and he doesn’t realize he’s yelling until she flinches. The bar goes quiet, everyone turning to stare at them, and Hurk takes a deep breath. “Did you stop to think what it would do to me?” He asks, hating how his voice breaks, hating the look of sympathy that overtakes every face in the room. 

“That’s not fair, Hurk.” Bailey whispers, looking down and sniffing. 

“Maybe not.” Hurk agrees, idly stroking her wrist with his thumb. “Mama says I get too attached to shit. And I exaggerate too much.” He lets go of her hand then and stands, right as Sharky comes out of the bathroom. 

“Damn, who died?” He asks, staring wide-eyed around the room. 

“Let's go blow up some Peggies, cuz.” Hurk says gruffly. “Need a break from all this bullshit.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has always seemed a little rushed and disjointed to me, but I didn't want to pad it out and make it boring. It's supposed to feel chaotic, but I think I just ended up making it feel fast lol.
> 
> Sorry this took so long. I've been depressed and stressed out. I've been taking care of myself, so that's what the hiatus has been about lol.


	8. void of answers and your soul has become lost

“You gotta talk to her, man.” Sharky says as he changes the canister on his flamethrower. 

“Dude, I have tried.” Hurk complains. They’re at the Moonflower Trailer Park blasting disco and melting faces off of angels. It should be fun, but there’s a tension in Hurk’s shoulders that he can’t quite shake. “She tried to fuck me a few days ago.”

“Uh, tried to?” Sharky asks, turning to stare at him, completely baffled. “The hell do you mean she _tried to?"_

“I pushed her away.”

“You _what?”_

“It’s not like that, man, she wasn’t thinkin’ straight. Woulda been like takin’ advantage of a drunk chick. I ain’t into that shit.” Hurk says, firing into the growing mob and frowning deeply. “We’d just blown Joseph’s statue to hell. Got pinned down in a cabin and had a goddamn shootout. By the time it was over, both our engines were revvin’ and she threw herself at me.”

“You’re lyin’ through your goddamn teeth.” Sharky snorts. 

“Swear to the Monkey King.”

“Bullshit! There ain’t no _way_ she threw herself at you. And then you _pushed her away?_ Fuck you, man, you must really think I’m stupid.”

“Okay firstly, I resent what you are implyin’ with that, Charlemagne Victor Boshaw.” Hurk says, jabbing a finger into his cousin’s chest. “And second, I am a gentleman, whether you wanna believe it or not. She’s been all fucked up since Jacob made her kill Eli and then himself. Reckless, and not in the lovable and sexy way that I am. And she’s been drinkin’ a lot, and not because she wants to party. I’m worried about her.”

“How far’d you get before you supposedly pushed her away?” Sharky presses, raising an eyebrow. “Sorry, I’m just havin’ a real problem believin’ a girl like Bailey threw herself at you.”

“Now, you were just tellin’ me that I should tell her I like her. What the fuck happened to that?”

“That was before you told me she made the first move and that you pushed her away. Holy shit, Hurk, you cannot convince me that _she_ tried to get into _your_ pants before you even made a move on her.” 

“You can believe what you want.”

“I will.”

“We didn’t get very far.” Hurk sighs, setting down his rocket launcher and leaning on it. “Heavy pettin’ and kissin’. She bit my throat and I stopped and thought, ‘what in the fuck am I doin’.”

“Bit your throat? Hard?” Sharky asks, stomping on the foot pedal that stops the music and blasting the rest of the angels. “She leave a mark?”

“I dunno. Haven’t looked in a mirror lately.”

“Lemme see.” Sharky says, ducking to look. Hurk angles his head to show him and suddenly Sharky is howling laughter. 

“Holy shit, that’s a hickey! A goddamn hickey!” He screams, jumping up and down. “I can’t _believe_ you didn’t fuck her. I woulda. Holy shit.”

“Like I said, she wasn’t thinkin’ straight. Woulda been wrong.” Hurk snorts. 

“Maybe she just needed the release. You said she’s been fucked up. Maybe she just wants someone to comfort her.” Sharky suggest. Hurk just shakes his head. 

“I can’t do that.”

“All these stories of your conquests in Kyrat and Rook Island, but you can’t give the beautiful girl right here at home what she wants?”

“It ain’t like that.”

“Then what’s it like, cuz? Do you even know?”

“I don’t want her to use me, because it won’t be meaningless sex for me. I’m in too deep already. I want to make love to her because she’s amazing, she wants to fuck me because I’m available.”

“Damn, Hurk.” Sharky sighs, sitting down heavily on the roof of the trailer. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize.” He takes a deep breath and Hurk can feel his eyes on him. “Maybe you should tell her that? You never know, she might be more invested than you think.”

“I dunno, Sharky.” Hurk huffs, shaking his head. “You’re probably right. A girl like Bailey wouldn’t want someone like me.”

—

Hurk spends the rest of the day fishing with Sharky and wondering if he should radio Bailey. The peace and tranquility of spending the day on a boat in Rock Bass Lake would do her some good. 

A distress call from the jail puts a pin in that idea for him. 

“The Marshal killed Virgil and Whitehorse is missing and the deputy has gone after Faith.” Tracey Lader sobs over the radio, sounding broken. “Whoever’s nearby, you’ve gotta help her.”

Sharky’s steering the boat back to shore before Hurk can even react. 

“Goddammit, Bailey.” He snarls, ripping his radio from his belt and putting the earpiece back in his ear. “Bailey, where the hell are you?” He yells into it, climbing out of the boat and jogging to Sharky’s truck. He glances back at Sharky, watching him push the boat back off the shore. 

“Unhook the trailer and go.” Sharky says, waving a hand and jumping back in the boat. “I’ll head to the jail and see if they need help.” 

Nick Rye’s plane flies low over head, but Hurk doesn’t have time to worry about what he’s doing. He starts cranking the tongue jack, wondering why the fuck the coupler won’t pop off the goddamn hitch until he realizes he didn’t fucking open it. He stops and stands upright, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He needs to squash the panic rising up from his guts like bile, sour and sickening. He can’t do jack shit if he can’t think straight, and he needs to figure out where she is before he starts moving anyway. 

Head cleared and hands steady, he gets to work again, unhooking the trailer without anymore issue. He gets in the truck and cranks it. 

“Hey fly boy, you see our girl?” He asks, radioing Nick. There’s a beat of silence, and then Nick’s voice is crackling in his ear. 

“Affirmative, she’s in a clearin’ just northeast of Rock Bass Lake. Other side of that long-ass foot bridge.” Nick says. “There are Peggies everywhere. I’ll keep them off ‘a you.”

“Thanks, Nick.” Hurk replies, peeling out onto the road. 

“Good luck, man.”

“You too, amigo.” 

— 

By the time Hurk gets to the clearing, the fight is over. 

“Goddamn, Ladybug, save some a’ the fight for me!” He says, only half joking. She’s standing at the edge of the clearing with her back to him, facing the water. When he’s close enough to see into the water, he sees Faith floating face up, eyes wide and fixed, blood blooming around her. “C’mon. Let’s get outta here.” He says softly, reaching out to pull her away. 

“I’m sick of killing, Hurk.” Bailey says, voice quiet and broken. “I’m sick of hurting people. I’m supposed to be saving the county, but it just feels like I’m murdering innocent people. I want to believe that I’m doing the right thing, but I can’t shake the feeling that I could have saved these people. I feel like I’m just killing them because they’re in my way.” She begins to sob on her last words, her knees buckling, dropping her to the ground. Hurk catches her by the waist before she goes down, turning her and pulling her flush against him in a bear hug. 

“They’re the ones killin’ innocent people, Bailey. They’ve been stealin’ from folks and torturin’ folks all over this county. I’m not sayin’ they _need_ killin’, but they do need to be stopped. And you can’t tell me that any of ‘em woulda let you save ‘em. They aren’t just ready to die for Joseph Seed. They’re _excited _to.” He says, squeezing her as she begins to cry in earnest. “You gotta be strong for just one more thing, Ladybug. You gotta go get the sheriff and destroy Faith’s bunker. Then you’re allowed to fall apart. Joseph can wait, but we gotta get the sheriff _now_.” He grabs her upper arms and pushes her away, ducking so that he’s almost eye level with her. “I’m with you, Bailey. You don’t have to do any a’ this alone.” __

__She takes a deep breath and scrubs at her face with her hands, visibly psyching herself up, then looks at him and nods firmly._ _

__“Okay. You’re right. Let’s go.” She says, sounding more like herself than she has in weeks._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the ridiculously long waits on these chapters T-T


	9. wash me away, wash me away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Smut

“I’m sorry.” Bailey says from the passenger seat of Sharky’s truck as Hurk threads it through the hills toward the Moonflower Trailer Park. 

“For what, Ladybug?” He asks, slowing down for a pothole. 

“Everything.” She replies with a sigh. “Taking off without you, disregarding your feelings, jumping you in that cabin.”

“Nah, don’t worry ‘bout it.” Hurk snorts, pulling into the driveway and parking the truck in front of one of the trailers. He shuts off the engine and leans back, looking at her curiously. “Why did you jump me, anyway? Y’know, other than me bein’ so sexy an’ all.” She laughs, shaking her head. 

“Because I like you, Hurk. A lot.” She replies, laughing again when she looks at him. “Don’t look so surprised. You’re very likable.”

“Yeah, but why?” He presses, twisting in the driver’s seat to face her more fully. 

“You’ve been here with me since the beginning. We’ve been raising hell all over this county together, and you’ve always had my back. I don’t even want to try to count how many times you saved my ass. You kept me from falling apart, kept me sane when I felt like I was losing my fucking mind, talked me down from the ledge more times than I think _you_ know. And you always know how to make me laugh, even when I really don’t feel like laughing.” She chuckles softly and shakes her head again, watching as Sharky emerges from one of the trailers and waves. “You’re good for me, Hurk. Whether you think so or not.” She opens the door then and gets out, yelling something at Sharky that Hurk can’t hear over the buzzing in his ears. 

“Get the hell outta my truck, Hurky. I gotta go get the trailer and the boat.” Sharky says, pulling the driver door open and punching Hurk’s shoulder. “And also, feel free to use one of the trailers to freshen up or whatever.” He winks then, and Hurk rolls his eyes. 

“Fuck you, man.” Hurk snorts, sliding out of the truck and pushing past his cousin. 

“You’re welcome.” Sharky replies, pleased with himself, then hops in and takes off before Hurk can say anything else. 

“I am covered in blood.” Bailey says then, pulling on her shirt so that she can see the stains. “And I smell like fucking Bliss.”

“C’mon. You can use Sharky’s shit. He won’t mind.” Hurk replies, putting a hand on her back and pushing her toward the nearest trailer. “I’ll see what he has in his fridge. You gotta be starvin’ half to death by now.”

“I could eat a whole fucking cow!” She yells as she disappears inside. 

The only food Hurk can find in this fucking place is a couple of Hot Pockets and more beer than there’s fridge space for, so he just grabs that and takes it back to the trailer that Bailey’s in. There’s a microwave in there, so he just throws them in and turns it on. 

He’s eaten his and drank half his beer by the time Bailey gets out of the shower, dressed in one of Sharky’s hoodies and a pair of sweatpants. 

“He gotta washing machine around here?” She asks, pointing to the pile of soiled clothes on the floor. “I think I got most of the blood out, but it all needs to be washed. 

“I dunno. You can ask him when he gets back.” Hurk replies. “Hope you like Hot Pockets.”

“Not quite a whole cow, there.” She snorts, wrinkling her nose. 

“S’all he has.”

“And beer, looks like.”

“Yup.”

“Well, I guess there hasn’t been much time for grocery shopping lately.”

“Well, this is just his private Peggie roastin’ arena. Probably got food in his trailer down the road, but I wasn’t about to run over there.” Hurk says with a shrug. Bailey laughs and shakes her head.

He watches her as she wolfs down her junk food, thinking about what she’d said in the truck and posing it against what she’d said after she’d killed Faith. 

“Are you okay?” She asks when she notices him, frowning when he absently nods his head and just keeps staring. “You’re starting to weird me out, dude.”

“D’you ‘member what I said earlier?” He asks, taking another pull from his beer. “Bout fallin’ apart?”

“Yeah.” She says, suddenly subdued. “I don’t want to. I’m good, I swear.”

“S’ not healthy, y’know.” He murmurs. “Talk to me.”

“I’m fine.”

“Bailey.”

“Hurk.” He just stares at her, and finally she sighs. “Okay, okay. Maybe I’m a little scared to confront Joseph.”

“Don’t gotta be today. Don’t gotta be tomorrow.”

“I know. I just… What if I’m wrong, Hurk? What if we’re all wrong about everything?” She puts her hands on the table, pressing her palms flat and taking a deep breath. “What if something does happen if I try to arrest him? The end of the world or whatever. Jacob, John, and Faith all said that he saw all of this coming. What if he did? What if he really knows what happens next?”

“I dunno, Ladybug. Wish I could tell you.” He replies. She shakes her head. 

“Everything feels so out of place. Like none of this should have ever happened.” She says. “Like if we’d just left the cult alone, nothing would have gone wrong.”

“Not like you had much choice in the matter.” Hurk replies, watching her face. It’s been a long time since he’s seen her so calm and collected. “The Marshal took that from you.”

“Yeah, and he paid for it, didn’t he?” She snarls bitterly, staring off into nothing. “Poor Virgil. He didn’t deserve what happened to him.”

“No, he didn’t.”

“I dunno. Maybe Jacob was right.” She sighs, and that wild edge creeps back into her eyes, making Hurk’s pulse spike with fear. “I leave everybody worse off than they were before. My help is a curse.” Hurk grabs her hand then, squeezing it hard until she looks at him. 

“Now, I told you that ain’t true and you know it.” He snaps. She flinches. “Without you, a whole lot more innocent people would be fuckin’ dead, Bailey. A bunch of psychopaths tryna gaslight you ain’t gonna change that. Hell, without you, my daddy probably woulda blown my goddamn head off with that shotgun a’ his. And you can take that to the bank.” She laughs at that, swiping at her eyes with the hand that Hurk isn’t holding and shaking her head. “Joseph and his wacko family are a bunch a’ liars and manipulators, and they’re crazy as fuck. Don’t forget that.”

“I just can’t get what Faith told me out of my head. I wonder if I could have saved her if I had just tried harder.” She swipes at her eyes again and sniffs. Hurk gets up then and sits down in the chair beside her, turning to face her and grabbing her shoulders. 

“She killed Virgil. She killed the Marshal. She tried to kill Whitehorse, and she woulda killed you if you hadn’t killed her first. Now I will admit that she was damn fine and if she hadn’t been so evil and looney, I woulda tapped that in a second, but that don’t mean she deserved to be saved. Weren’t nothin’ in her but evil, and whatever she told you, it was a lie.” 

“She was pretty, wasn’t she?” Bailey laughs, her voice congested as she fights tears. 

“Not as pretty as you.”

“Shut up, Hurk.”

“I mean it.” He says softly, smiling when she looks at him. “I’ll take pretty and kind over pretty and evil any day a’ the week, Ladybug.” He leans forward then and kisses her chastely, figuring now is as good a time as any to make his move, and she relaxes into it for just a moment before she pushes him away. 

“Are you sure this time?” She asks, searching his face with wide, fearful eyes. 

“I’m sure.” Hurk says. “Just promise me one thing.”

“What?”

“Promise you won’t regret it later.” 

She looks at him for a long time, her eyes locked with his, something deep and indecipherable in them. 

“I promise.” She says at last, then raises up from her seat to climb into his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him so sweetly, so gently. He grabs her ass and stands, smiling against her mouth when her legs wind instinctively around his waist, and carries her to the back of the trailer where a queen-sized bed takes up most of the bedroom. 

He turns and sits down on the edge, lifting her so that she can get her legs back underneath herself, and lets her lead. He doesn’t guide her as she plants her knees on either side of his thighs, and eases back when she pushes against him, opening her mouth against his and pushing her fingers through his short hair. He sets his hands on her hips, kneading gently, a soft moan bubbling up from his chest as her tongue presses into his mouth. 

Her hands move, fingertips stroking his cheeks, his neck, palms pressing flat against his chest, along his sides until she reaches the hem of his shirt. Her hands slip under the fabric, the sudden direct contact pulling another moan from him, embarrassingly loud, betraying how long he’s wanted this beyond a shadow of a doubt. 

Bailey chuckles and pulls back, looking down at him with a warm but curious expression on her face. Then she straightens, her ass settling over his pelvis, and pulls off the hoodie she’s wearing in one smooth motion. Hurk stares, committing the image to memory. The tanned expanse of skin, soft and smooth and scarred under his fingers when he reaches up to grip her waist, the way her muscles slide beneath his touch, the heave of her breast as her breath quickens. She licks her lips and reaches back, unhooking her bra and letting it fall down her arms before casting it aside, and suddenly he can’t control himself. He sits up, arms locking around her, and kisses her hard, shuddering at the whine that comes from somewhere deep inside her. 

He flips her over, slotting himself between her legs and pressing his face against her neck, grinning when her legs wrap around him again. He draws his tongue over her skin, tasting her, the salt of her sweat and the sharp tang of the soap she’d used in the shower. He kisses down her throat, over her collarbone, across her sternum, humming when she moans, just as loud and damning as his had been. 

He puts his mouth over one peaked nipple, drawing the flat of his tongue over it, sucking and grazing his teeth over the sensitive flesh, moving with her when her back arches. He closes his lips, flicking the tip of his tongue against her and sucking indulgently. His fingers find the waistband of her sweat pants and slide underneath, tracing the hard line of her hip bones, the groove where her thigh meets her groin. 

“C’mere.” She gasps, pulling gently at his hair, and he finds her lips again, pressing his tongue into her mouth as his hand ventures lower. His fingers slip over her, pressing inside her, first one and then two, earning a moan that he swallows as she arches again into his touch. He lingers for a moment, curling his fingers, rubbing his palm against her clit, kissing her deeply and slowly. 

He’s always been good at this. Sharky wasn’t wrong when he’d mentioned Hurk’s conquests across the globe. Maybe he wasn’t quite as worldly as he had made his little cousin believe, but the women he’d been with had often come back again and again and again. It’s how he’d managed to steal the head cheerleader from the quarterback in high school. It’s how he’d gotten all the pretty Rook Islander girls coming back even after they’d thrown themselves at him for simply being “exotic.” Maybe he isn’t the best looking man in Hope County, maybe he isn’t as sexy as the cowboys that used to hang out at the Hollyhock Saloon before everything went to shit, but he knows how to use his hands, his mouth, his body. 

But with the way her own hands are pressing and sliding all over him, the way she bucks against his hand so desperately you’d think they’d been at it for hours instead of minutes, he starts to think that maybe all of that doesn’t matter. That maybe she wants him for who he is, and not because he knows how to please a woman (and hadn’t been shy about telling her that before he’d started developing feelings for her). Then she breathes his name into his mouth, wraps her arms around his shoulders to pull him closer, and he feels a connection with her that is so completely foreign it takes his breath away. 

He withdraws his fingers and pulls back, pushing his knees under her thighs to sit up fully, and grins at her as he puts them in his mouth, the tangy musk of her bright on his tongue as he sucks them clean. 

Then she’s out from under him before he knows it, wriggling out of her pants and then going for his. She presses a trail of kisses across his heated skin, pushes the waistband of his pants until they pool around his knees, his erection bobbing once before she grasps it in one small hand. She strokes him loosely, burying her face in the crook of his neck where it meets his shoulder and nipping gently at his skin. He puts his hands on her waist and drops his head back, exposing his throat to her when she moves to nip the skin over his adam’s apple. He lets her work, trying to gain control of his breathing again and failing miserably when she squeezes him, ripping an almost painful gasp from somewhere deep in his chest. 

“Lay down on your back.” She whispers against his collarbone, and he obeys immediately, rolling over and submitting like a fucking dog, so far from the alpha male he so often claims to be that he can’t help but laugh, a breathy and strangled sound that surprises him more than his obedience does. She stares at him for a moment, long enough to make him uncomfortable, then grabs his pants and pulls them the rest of the way off before climbing on top of him.

She sets one hand on his chest for balance, palm flat against his flushed skin, then raises up and slips her other hand between her legs. She grasps his cock again, pumping him roughly several times before easing down onto him. He moans, too loud, drowning her out when he wants so desperately to hear her too, and he suddenly feels like he can’t catch his breath. He feels like a fucking virgin, asthmatic at the first touch of cunt like a nerd on prom night, embarrassed out of his mind and thinking this must be a prank and the cameraman just hasn’t jumped out yet. Then he looks up into her face, her eyes half-lidded and her jaw slack, her own breath just as labored and harsh, and he nearly fucking forgets his own goddamn name. 

He props himself up on one elbow and reaches for her with his free hand, his fingers pushing into her hair, cradling the back of her skull, and pulls her down to meet him. He kisses her again, sloppy and wet and completely out of control, groaning when she tilts her hips and arches her back and rocks forward. She pushes back onto him so slowly, moaning softly through her rabbit-quick panting, and he has to fight the urge to buck his hips into her. 

And she does move so, so slowly, drawing out each delicious stroke as she rides him, taking her time and making it last. And while it’s so hard to keep still, so tempting to grab her hips and say to hell with this passionate shit and fuck her brains out, he wants this to last as long as possible. For hours. All night. Forever. 

She sits up, leaning back and rolling her hips, and his hand falls from her hair to cup one small breast. She braces her hands on his thighs and drops her head back, her body long and lean and beautiful as she rolls her hips again, pushing down harder and deeper. She moans loudly, her hips beginning to buck, and suddenly Hurk just can’t stand it anymore. 

He grabs her waist with both hands and holds her, fucking his hips up into her. She gasps and straightens up again, her hands closing around his wrists but making no move to pull his arms away. He starts a rhythm, thrusting hard and fast, relishing the way her thighs flex around his hips, the way her abdomen tightens under his hands, her punched out breath and the way her tits bounce as he fucks her, her still-damp hair flying wildly around her shoulders. Her hands squeeze his wrists hard and she bows over him, moaning so loud Hurk is sure anyone nearby will hear her as she comes on his cock. He grabs her shoulders and pulls her down flush against him, her head on his chest, the contact nearly leaving him breathless. He lifts his knees for leverage and fucks her hard, chasing his own orgasm. She comes again, practically screaming, and he feels the rush of heat and pleasure just before he climaxes. He comes inside her, hips twitching as he groans and hugs her tightly, saying her name over and over, reverent, like a prayer. She shudders, breathing hard, trembling in his arms as he stills and begins stroking her back with one hand. 

They’re quiet for a long time, their ragged breathing the only sound in the room, and Hurk’s eyelids are starting to feel heavy when she takes a deep breath and presses her face against his skin. 

“I love you, Hurk.” She murmurs, so softly he nearly misses it. He grins. He can’t help it. A giddy laugh bubbles up from his guts and he feels so warm and _good_ that he can hardly believe this is fucking _real_. 

“I love you, too, Bailey.” He replies, rubbing her back and wondering what he did to deserve a woman like her. 

—

Hurk doesn’t remember exactly when he’d fallen asleep, but it’s dark when he wakes. Bailey is curled against his side, sound asleep, naked and beautiful in the moonlight that spills in through the uncovered window. 

It’s warm, which is odd considering they’re lying on top of the covers, naked as jaybirds, and it’s been dropping to almost freezing every night as winter approaches. Sharky must have turned on the generator and set the thermostat. Thoughtful, if not a little creepy, but then that’s just Sharky in a nutshell. 

Hurk sighs and turns his head to look at the clock on one of the end tables. It’s 3 am, and he’s gotta piss, but he’s warm and comfortable and he doesn’t want to disturb the woman tucked under his arm. 

He gets up anyway and pulls on his pants, grabs one of the blankets folded in the closet and throws it over Bailey, and stumbles down the hall and into the bathroom. He leaves the light off and the door open, and he’s just pulling down his pants when Bailey screams at the top of her lungs, loud and shrill and nearly causing Hurk to piss fucking everywhere. 

He stumbles back into the room, searching for Peggies or bears or whatever the hell she’s screaming about, but only finds Bailey sitting bolt upright, wide-eyed with the blanket clutched to her chest, breathing so hard Hurk is pretty sure she’s gonna pass out if she doesn’t calm down. 

“What? What’s wrong?” He asks, voice low and soft, trying not to spook her further. He sits on the bed next to her legs, very carefully putting one hand on her bare ankle, and tries not to shift uncomfortably when she just stares at him like he’s from a different planet. 

“Oh.” She says at last, voice small. “Oh, it was— I had a nightmare.” 

“Are you okay?” Hurk asks, unsure. She’s suddenly so calm, her eyes still wide but dry and clear. 

“Yeah, I—“ She takes a deep breath and licks her lips, then swallows hard. “It was about Faith. And Whitehorse. And Joseph. And you.” Her voice wavers and she clears her throat forcefully. “Would it really be so bad if I just left Joseph alone?”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know. We have control of the county. The Peggies are retreating. The Seeds are all gone except Joseph. And I just have a bad feeling about all of this.” She puts her hand over his and searches his face hard for some kind of answer. 

“So leave him alone.” Hurk replies with a shrug. “Better yet, me an’ Sharky’ll go to his compound and burn it to the ground with ol’ Joe inside.” He’s only half joking. 

“I don’t know.” She says, chewing on her lip. “If I leave him alone, he’ll just try to build his stupid cult back up. But if I go and arrest him or kill him or whatever— what if he’s right?” Hurk hums thoughtfully, then leans toward her, kissing her firmly. 

“I think that’s a problem for tomorrow.” He says when he pulls back, lifting a hand to cup her face, stroking her cheek bone with his thumb. Her eyes flick to his mouth, eyelids drooping. 

“I guess you’re right.” She says, leaning into his hand. 

“Usually am.”

She snorts at that and kisses him back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I'm sorry these chapters are taking so long. I've been really busy lately T-T
> 
> Also, I'm not super accustomed to writing smut. Sorry if it sucks.


	10. i’ll see you on the shore

Hurk’s outside drinking a beer with Sharky when he feels a sharp pain in the side of his neck. 

“Fuckin’ mosquitoes, man.” Sharky comments, lifting a hand to rub his own neck, sounding much more drunk than he should be. Hurk looks at him, confused, blinking rapidly when his cousin blurs and doubles. 

“What kind of beer is this?” Hurk slurs, looking down at the bottle in his hand. 

“It’s Leased—“ and suddenly Sharky collapses all at once, dropping to the ground like a ton of bricks. Hurk’s knees buckle and he sinks down, kneeling in the dirt and staring around the trailer park as sparks burst behind his eyes. 

“Go down already.” A gruff voice says, and then there’s a boot between Hurk’s shoulder blades, shoving him face first into the dirt. “Redneck sonuvabitch.”

“How’re we gonna get them back to the Father?” Another, much softer voice asks. 

“We’ll just drag ‘em behind the ATVs. I ain’t throwin’ my back out pickin’ ‘em up.” The first voice replies. 

“What about the deputy?” A third voice asks. 

“Leave her. She’ll come for her friends.”

Hurk distantly feels himself being rolled onto his back, but he can only stare at the sky. Then he’s moving. The sharp pulse of a four stroke engine floats to Hurk’s ears from beyond his feet, on the other side of the world, somewhere off in space, farther and farther away until there’s nothing but silence. 

—

Bailey’s screaming at him to get up. He feels like he’s swimming up from the bottom of the ocean. Slowly. Like he’s got bricks tied to his feet. 

“Hurk Drubman Jr, I swear to god, if you don’t get up I will never have sex with you again.” She snarls, and it’s not entirely coincidental that his eyes snap open at that exact moment. He gasps, taking a breath of somewhat clear air, and Bailey’s face swims into focus. 

“Again?” Someone says somewhere as Hurk struggles to get to his feet. 

“I’m up, baby, I’m up.” He grunts, shaking his head hard. Bailey slams his rpg against his chest. “What’s happening?”

“Joseph blissed you.” She says, turning to spit a wad of blood onto the ground. Her mouth is bloody and there’s a deep cut on her cheek. 

“Why’re you bleeding?” He asks, looking at the darkened sky and the chaos all around them. 

“You fucking pistol-whipped me.” She snaps. 

“What?”

“It’s okay. You were blissed outta your mind. But that can wait because your mom’s about bash your brains in.” She rushes forward and full-body shoves Hurk sideways, nearly knocking him off balance, just as his mama swings her rifle through the air where they’d been standing. Then Deputy Pratt steps up and whacks her hard in the middle of the back, swinging his shotgun like a goddamn baseball bat, home-fucking-run. “C’mon.” Bailey says, grabbing his arm when he tries to push past her. “She’s fine. But we gotta move.”

Everything is chaos. Mary May Fairgrave punches Nick Rye in the face, Sharky full-body tackles Grace Armstrong, Deputy Hudson and Tammy Barnes are grappling over a shovel, and Joseph Seed is running around sprinkling his fucking fairy dust over everybody. Hurk loses track of Bailey in the insanity, but before he can try to look for her Wheaty screams and launches himself at him. The kid smells like Bliss, and the freak strength it gives him allows him to knock Hurk off his feet. He throws Wheaty off and gets up, turning as the kid groans and clutches at his head.

“You good?” Hurk asks, cautiously leaning over him. 

“Ugh, what the fuck happened?” Wheaty grunts, grabbing Hurk’s hand when he offers it.

“Your guess is as good as mine.” Hurk replies. 

“Stay down, or I swear to god almighty I will blow your fucking brains out.” Bailey roars from somewhere, and Hurk looks up just in time to see her deck Joseph Seed. She throws her whole body into it, and the bastard must have a glass jaw because he drops like a sack of flour. She stalks closer to him, and murder flashes in her dark eyes before she closes them and takes a deep, deep breath. “Joseph Seed, you are under arrest. Put your hands on your goddamn head and don’t fucking move.” 

Bailey cuffs him, and Hurk can feel the excitement roll through the people around him, giddy laughter bubbling up and out of each of them before they can stop it.

And then the bastard starts _singing_ , and the whole goddamn world ends.

The flash is all consuming and an actual mushroom cloud rises beyond the mountains, just like in all those shitty 80’s action movies he and Sharky had watched when they were kids. There’s a moment of perfect silence as everyone freezes and watches it grow, and Hurk can feel the rumble in the ground before the shockwave hits and knocks them all back.

He makes eye contact with Bailey as he picks himself back up. She’s shoving Joseph bodily toward a truck and screaming at him, but Hurk’s ears are ringing and the roar of the goddamn _bomb_ is still shaking in the air.

“She said get safe, honey, now c’mon!” His mama’s screaming in his ear, pulling hard at his arm. He shakes himself and starts moving, grabbing Sharky by the back of his hoodie and hauling him upright as he passes him, half carrying him as he makes a break for one of the cult trucks nearby. 

They head for the bunker that Hurk’s daddy had put in the ground before he was even born. That stupid fucking bunker that Hurk had used to stash his porn and weed since he was a teenager, where he’d lost his virginity, where Sharky had lost his virginity (and where he’d told Hurk about it in graphic detail). By the time they’re just a mile away from safety, the world is on fire. Bison and deer and rabbits are sprinting into the trees, completely engulfed in flames and screaming like people. 

“Holy fuck.” Sharky whispers, and when Hurk glances over at him, he’s surprised that his pyromaniac cousin’s eyes are squeezed shut, his jaw clenched, hands balled into tight fists. An elk drops dead in the middle of the road and Hurk nearly punches the truck through the guardrail and off a goddamn cliff trying to avoid it.

The bunker’s locked when they get there. His mama and Sharky are screaming something, but Hurk can’t hear them as he stomps on the blast door, digging in his pocket for his keys and seething because he _knows_ he hadn’t locked it. 

There’s a part of him that wants to kill his father when he finally gets the door open. It’s the same part that has him shoving past Xander, who is inexplicably already in the bunker, and it’s the same part that has him pointing his finger and stamping his feet like a child, all the fire and strength leaving him the moment his daddy gives him a cool, unsurprised glance. 

“Well that’s just great.” He says over Hurk’s shouting, shaking his head. “Now I gotta sit in this tin can with four idiots instead of just one. I was plannin’ on eatin’ that one once the food runs out, but I guess now I’m outnumbered.”

“C’mon, Hurk.” Sharky says softly after a moment of stunned silence, hesitantly touching his arm. “It ain’t worth it.” Hurk just snorts and lets himself be pulled away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are only two more chapters after this. Anybody got any guesses on what's gonna happen??


	11. every word (evermore, evermore)

Hurk is fine as long as he can stay drunk or high. Even though he has to sleep in the same bed as Sharky, and his mama and Xander fuck constantly, and his daddy hasn’t stopped screaming once the entire time they’ve been in this goddamn bunker, as long as he can keep his brain in a fog, as long as he can keep the party going, he’s okay. 

No matter what he does, though, he wakes up every night in a cold sweat, plagued by nightmares, jerking backward and hitting Sharky in the face with the back of his head too many times to count. Sharky, for his part, just pats his arm and tells him everything’s okay, then rolls over and tries to make himself as small as possible so he doesn’t get hit again. Hurk wishes he could make the nightmares stop, but there’s not enough booze or weed in the world to keep him from dreaming of that flash, the look on Bailey’s face when she’d screamed at him to get safe, that elk dropping in the road right in front of them as they’d hauled ass to the bunker. 

He wishes he could go find Bailey. He’d much rather be with her than his fucked up family. He wants to know she’s safe. He wants to hold her. And while he loves Sharky, he’d much rather share a bed with Bailey instead of his dumbass cousin. 

—

Hurk is surprised that it took a whole year to drive his daddy out. None of them had done it on purpose, but Senior had never even remotely enjoyed the company of his family, blood or not. Even when Hurk was a kid, his daddy had called him a dumbass and sent him outside to play in traffic. 

Hurk tries to stop him, either out of some residual obligatory love or because he just doesn’t want them all exposed to radiation, but Senior is determined. There’s a blast of cold air when the old man opens the bunker door that doesn’t go away once it’s closed again. The generator is old and can only be operated on low power, so the cold lingers for days, forcing them to huddle together for warmth. 

That’s when Sharky finds his fur suit. 

“Oh c’mon, man. Don’t put that thing on, it’s creepy.” Hurk says as Sharky steps into the suit, grinning hugely. 

“I thought I’d lost this thing!” Sharky says, pulling the suit’s head on over his own. 

“How long are you gonna wear it?” Hurk asks, physically cringing. 

“I’m never taking it off.” Sharky replies, voice muffled, then turns and sashays away so that the tail flicks side to side. 

—

They’re out of weed, which is probably a good thing since they’re down to one meal a day. At this rate, they’ll have to go topside within the next year, whether it’s safe or not. 

Eating one meal a day isn’t as bad as Hurk thought it would be. Sure, the weed is gone, but he can get drunk off of two bottles of beer on an empty stomach, so they’re not going through the booze quite so quickly anymore. 

Hurk loses some weight thanks to the strict rationing, which is fine. The downside to that is everyone else loses weight too, and they didn’t have any extra weight to lose in the first place. They all start getting agitated more readily, especially Sharky, who just seems to be angry at everything these days. Hurk tries not to take it personally, but one day Sharky literally shoves him out of bed and Hurk just sort of loses his mind. He’d had that nightmare where Bailey bleeds to death in his arms again, and he’s still half asleep, still locked in the cage of his nightmare, so his brain turns Sharky into a Peggie the moment he lands on the floor. He gets up lightning quick and throws himself at what he fully believes is a Peggie, angrier than he’s ever been, and proceeds to beat the ever loving shit out of his little cousin. Sharky gives as good as he gets, though, and by the time Adelaide and Xander pull them off of each other, they’re both bloody and bruised. 

Hurk sleeps on the floor from that moment on, and they don’t talk to each other for a long time. 

“I’m sorry, Hurk.” Sharky whispers in the middle of the night about a week later. Hurk doesn’t answer for a moment, and he hears him sigh softly. 

“S’okay, man.” He answers. “I’m sorry, too.”

—

There’s no more booze, there’s not enough food, and Hurk no longer has a way to keep himself from thinking. He withdraws, isolating himself as much as one can in a small bunker, and sinks into a deep depression. He thinks about his father and about the end of the world, but mostly he thinks about Bailey. He thinks about how her lips had tasted, about how soft her skin had been under his mouth, the sounds she had made as he’d slipped his fingers inside her, when she’d eased down onto him. Then he thinks about the goddamn bomb. The fire. The fact that Bailey is probably dead. 

—

Sharky has been working on something in the bathroom for months. Hurk doesn’t really want to know, but when Sharky practically kicks down the door screaming Hurk figures it’s time to ask him what the hell he's doing. 

“Toilet wine!” Sharky yells, holding up a red solo cup. He shoves it into Hurk’s hand and jabs a finger into his chest. “Fucking drink it. I’m sick of you mopin’ around. So let’s get hammered and start partyin’ again.”

It’s disgusting, but it fucking works, and Hurk is glad to fog his brain once more. 

—

Three years in this fucking bunker. They’re out of food, the generator is starting to fail, and the water filtration system has been giving them murky water that has caused them all to get sick. 

“We don’t have a choice.” Adelaide says one day. “We stay in here and we starve to death. We gotta go topside.”

It’s still freezing cold beyond the bunker door, and even though Sharky is determined to live his Mad Max fantasy, it’s too cold to do much more than short hunting trips before returning to the relative safety of underground. Hurk has always been better at fishing than hunting, but his mama and Sharky are crackshots and take two very strange looking deer within an hour of being outside. They break down one and bury the other in the deep snow drift that’s completely covered the cult truck they’d gotten here in, and eat way too much at once. 

It’s bleak outside, and none of them want to spend more time than necessary in the frigid weather, so they remain in the bunker for four more years, leaving only when they need more food. Sharky manages to fix both the generator and the water filtration system using parts from the truck, so it’s relatively comfortable for a while.

—

The world starts to thaw about seven years after the bombs had fallen. It must be summer, based on the length of the days and the behavior of the animals, and the snow begins to melt quickly. The bunker floods, forcing them to leave it for good. 

Adelaide and Xander decide to leave Hope County entirely. 

“Still too cold here.” She says when Hurk demands she tell him why. He hopes they make it there okay. 

He and Sharky build a house out of scrap from other buildings and things they can find, and then begin working on an ATV they had found nearby. They don’t have any gas, but Sharky knows much more about mechanic work than Hurk ever thought he did. They grow corn to make ethanol, and Sharky converts the ATV’s engine to burn it, and they’re mobile within three years of leaving the bunker. 

The first and only thing Hurk wants to do is find Bailey. 

“I’d bet she’s in Dutch’s bunker. If she’s alive.” Sharky says with a shrug. Then, at Hurk’s dark look, he puts his hands up and steps back. “You gotta prepare yourself for it. I don’t wanna see you get your heart broken.”

Much of the county is impassable, either because of radiation or flooding or both, and it’s another three years before they can leave the section of the Whitetails they’re secluded in. And once they can, Hurk heads straight for Dutch’s island. 

They find it deserted, so they move on to Joseph’s island. There’s considerably more activity, and by the time they get to the compound, the place is crawling with Peggies. 

“Have you seen the deputy?” Hurk asks one that he recognizes. Some friend of his mama’s that she used to fly with. 

“No.” She says, voice hard. “Now stay away from me, sinner. This place isn’t for you.”

That’s when he sees him. Joseph Seed standing in the ruin of his church. Beside him lurks a small, lean figure, completely ambiguous beneath a deep leather hood and a wooden mask painted white.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy... Next chapter is the last one. What do you think is going to happen?
> 
> Feedback is always appreciated!


	12. Epilogue

_Hurk,_

_I hope you’re still alive, and I hope that one day you’ll find this. I want to be able to tell you all of this in person, but I have a bad feeling about it all. I’m afraid something is going to happen to me._

_You’re going to have questions. And Joseph will have answers, but they won’t be true. He’ll tell you that my child is his, but that’s bullshit. After everything he’s done, I can’t even be in the same room as him. I fucking hate that I’m stuck here with him, and I hate the fact that if he outlives me he’ll tell you that this kid isn’t yours. But he is. Or she. Not like there’s an ultrasound machine down here._

_Yeah, you read that right. I’m about three months pregnant as I’m writing this. I’m starting to show, and soon I won’t be able to hide it under baggy clothes. I don’t know why I’ve been hiding it from him. Even if I can convince him I’m just getting fat, it’s not like he won’t notice when I go into labor._

_God, I hope I make it through this. I want you to meet your kid. I want to show him or her to you and tell you myself that they’re yours. Ours. Our child. Holy shit, can you believe that?_

_I’m so scared that Joseph is going to do something to me. I’m scared he’s gonna kill me and then convince our baby that Joseph is their father. If that happens… I hope you find this letter. There are enough supplies in this bunker to last seven years. God, I hope that’s not too late._

_Maybe we would be shitty parents. I don’t know. I don’t know if I’m ready to be a mom. But I DO know that we would be better parents than Joseph fucking Seed._

_I need you to promise me something, Hurk. If I’m not around by the time you find this, no matter how old this kid is, you have to try. They’ll probably be fucked up on Joseph’s bullshit, but you have to try to get through to them. I don’t care what it takes, they can’t be Joseph’s puppet._

_I love you, Hurk. I meant it the first time I said it and I mean it now. I love you with all my heart._

_Bailey_

— 

Joseph finds the letter a month after the child is born. His mother is long dead, and this piece of paper is the only thing left of her. 

Joseph snorts. 

The Judge is no man’s child. He is an agent of God that was born of sin and darkness, a product of a diseased world. His mother’s death was a blessing, and with any luck, the boy’s father will have met the same fate. 

He burns it with the match he uses to light the stove, then makes the boy his bottle.

—

END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally!! The abrupt ending is intentional. It's supposed to make you a little pissed off and feel a little cheated lol. 
> 
> I have been toying around with the idea of a one-shot sequel, but idk. Tell me what you think!


End file.
